A Prisoner of Conscience
by Michelle P
Summary: After being critically injured on a mission, Jonas finds himself a prisoner in his own mind, and to escape, he must come face to face with the darker parts of his past, or he risks not coming out alive at all... COMPLETE! Slight revisions and extensions
1. Planetary Crisis

**A/N: All right here's my next idea for a story, it was somewhat given to me by a faithful reviewer, ANS4Christ, thanks. Your idea about exploring Jonas's past was great. Hopefully this story will live up to your expectations. Read on and find out!**

Summary: After being critically wounded on a planet, Jonas finds himself a prisoner of his own mind, and to escape the twisted nightmare, he must come face to face with the darker parts of his past, or he may not make it out alive . . .

**A Prisoner of Conscience**

**Chapter 1: Planetary Crisis**

Jonas threw himself behind a boulder as weapons fire surrounded him. His heart beat against his rib cage with incredible force. He heard his pulse thudding in his ears as adrenalin pumped through his system.

Another volley of shots rained down on him, and by some miracle, none of them managed to hit their target. He risked a glance down the hill he was trapped on, and watched SG-1's battle below him.

He saw a staff blast hit Major Carter in the stomach, and she was thrown back from the impact, slumping to the ground unconscious. His heart leapt as he became instantly concerned. Looking over to where Colonel O'Neill was stationed, he saw a look of pure and complete horror cross the older man's face.

"Carter!" Jack shouted through the fire fight. The Colonel fell back to her position and his hand instantly went to her neck in search of a pulse.

Jonas couldn't tell what O'Neill had found upon checking for a pulse, but his heart continued to beat rapidly. A shot from the opposition was fired at Jonas, and he barely managed to escape its path as he dove to the next meanings of cover, a large tree trunk.

"Teal'c dial us out of here!" Jack shouted. The large Jaffa, who'd been fairly close to the gate offered no argument and instantly did O'Neill's bidding.

The stone ring spun as each of the chevrons engaged, and seconds later the gate exploded in a discharge of blue, settling back into the gate's centre seconds later. Jonas watched Teal'c punch in his iris code and then seek cover behind the DHD as he was fired upon.

SG-1 made a dash for the gate, Jack handing Carter off to Teal'c and instructing him to get her out of here. He then jumped behind a low rise in the ground.

"Jonas come on!" Jack yelled.

"Sure, I'll be right there." Jonas muttered to himself, dodging another shot. He quickly returned fire and saw the enemy Jaffa warrior he was aiming for fall bonelessly to the ground.

Jonas surveyed his position and sighed helplessly to himself. In order to get to the gate, he'd have to give up his cover, and still it was a long run to the shimmering Stargate, even at top speed. The ground he'd have to cover was treacherous, littered with rocks and boulders, and to top it all off, it was downhill. Making a dash at the moment would pretty much be suicide.

He fired his gun again, catching another warrior. A second later, all weapons fire from the enemy halted, and it fell deathly silent. Jonas dared a look over the boulder that was sheltering him and noticed, much to his surprise that the opposition was nowhere in sight.

"Jonas, now!" O'Neill yelled from below. Jonas looked down, and for a split second the two men's eyes locked. Even at this distance, he saw that Jack was hurting from the fact that Major Carter had been caught in cross fire.

His breath quivering, Jonas nodded to himself. If he was going to run for it, now would be as good a time as any. With a deep breath he dashed from his cover and began down the hill. Staff blasts hit the ground around him, luckily not making contact with their target.

Jonas dodged as a blast hit the ground next to him, but failed to loose any ground. About a quarter of the way down the hill, Jonas felt a blast hit him in the left shoulder, he yelled out in pain, but continued to run. Another volley of shots was fired at him, each one managing to miss.

He continued to run, his heart beating in his chest, and his pulse racing in his ears, his forehead beaded with perspiration as he ran. At that moment, he heard another shot fired at him, and he felt it slam into his upper back. That was all it took to send him flying forward, he was in a headlong dive down the hill.

He hit the ground, and began a rather dangerous descent downwards. The rocks tore at him, and as he drew closer to the bottom he felt something break in his wrist as a rock tore at it. He yelled out once again, but his shout was cut short by the definite connection with the side of his head to a large boulder. That single blow was enough to send him pitching into darkness and he didn't even remember reaching the bottom of the hill.


	2. Diagnosis

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1 or any of its characters, this is simply for my own enjoyment.

**Chapter 2: Diagnosis**

Jack's heart skipped a beat as he saw Jonas take the first shot in his shoulder, but envied the younger man when he continued to run toward the gate. He watched anxiously as Jonas continued his descent, and called out in surprise when Jonas took a second hit to the back.

He saw the young man get thrown ahead, and cringed as Jonas hit the ground and began tumbling down the hill, gravity aiding in the journey. What really got him though, was the sight of Jonas's head making a solid connection with a boulder. He swore that his heart stopped dead at that instant. The world faded out to a low drone in his ears as he saw the young man continue to tumble down toward him.

Jonas came to a stop in a heap, nearly ten feet away from him, his face was mutilated with cuts and scrapes, and his body was much the same way, except for one huge difference, the two staff wounds. One in his left shoulder, another slightly to the right and positioned near the centre of his back.

O'Neill fired on the Jaffa warriors coming toward him, managing to take a few of them down. To his left, the Stargate shut off and he cursed out loud, sending another round of fire in the direction of his enemies.

He rushed to the DHD and punched in the address, entering his code as soon as the gate opened. Staff fire struck around him and he ran to where Jonas lay unconscious. He had to get the young man _off _of the planet. He lifted Jonas onto his back, careful not to do any more harm and made a quick run for the gate. He dove through, hauling Jonas with him, just as more shots rained around them.

The wormhole embraced them and carried them to Earth. On the other side, the gate spat them out, Jonas being tossed ahead as they exited and O'Neill's head landing harshly on the metal beneath him. A few staff blasts followed them through, striking the walls of the gate room, sending concrete tumbling to the ground.

O'Neill lay dazed on the ramp, his head spinning from the landing. Around him, he heard the dull sounds of the gate shutting off, and medical personnel moving in to tend to the two men.

A young man dropped next to Jack, speaking urgently to him, and Jack couldn't make any of the words out. He quickly felt himself succumbing to darkness as the orderly called for a stretcher to transport him to the infirmary.

"Where's Jonas?" Jack croaked out weakly.

"He's here, sir, you got him through." The man spoke loudly to him.

Jack nodded in relief and finally passed over into darkness.

* * *

O'Neill woke to the steady beeping of monitors coming from around him and forced his eyes open. Swallowing as the room lurched sickeningly. His eyes darted around him, and he could hear the shuffle of feet nearby.

"What happened?" He forced out through a dry throat.

The feet moved toward him and he saw General Hammond standing over him looking more than a little concerned.

"You were ambushed." Hammond said, as though that would explain everything.

O'Neill regarded him in confusion before everything finally fell into place. Jonas! Was he all right? What about Major Carter?

"My team?" Jack questioned, his voice rasping.

"They're here. Major Carter suffered a wound to the stomach, as of now she's stable. Teal'c was hit by a glancing shot. It just skimmed his arm." Hammond stated.

"What about Jonas?" O'Neill questioned. The General looked away and Jack swore loudly.

"What about Jonas?" Jack repeated, dreading the reply.

Hammond locked his gaze with the Colonel. "He suffered two staff wounds, in the back and in his shoulder. He's got a broken wrist, a few cracked ribs, bruises, and cuts. However, he also suffered a rather severe head injury. Colonel, his skull was cracked in two places, as of now, he still hasn't regained consciousness and Dr. Fraser says that he's in a coma." The General said quietly.

Jack swallowed the lump that had knotted itself in his throat and closed his eyes.

"Is he going to wake up?" O'Neill asked, desperation in his voice.

Hammond sighed heavily. "We don't know, the doctors have done all they can, the rest is up to him."

"Damn!" Jack cursed, making a move to sit up. The room twisted around him, causing a bile to rise in his throat, he choked it back as Hammond pushed him back down.

"Colonel, you're staying in bed, you've got a head concussion, and Fraser says you're not to leave. She'll be in as soon as she can. She's seeing to Jonas right now." Hammond instructed.

O'Neill nodded silently and felt himself falling asleep once again, Hammond didn't make a move to wake him, rest was probably the best thing for him at the moment.


	3. A Familiar Face

**Chapter 3: A Familiar Face**

A sound. Somewhere, there was a sound. Slowly he opened his eyes and found he was lying on his back staring up into an infinity of rolling blue clouds. He stayed down, watching the sky above closely, and with defined interest.

Again, the sound was heard, a constant sound sounding not unlike what a bouncing ball would sound. However, upon further listening, he found that the sound wasn't a ball, but more or less a constant beat, more like a heart beat. He pushed himself slowly to sit, incase there was any underlying damage which he hadn't initially discovered, and found that aside from just awaking from a bout of unconsciousness, that he was in good health.

He gazed silently around, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise he was hearing, and found that the entire area that he was in, seemed much like the rolling sky above, aside from the ground. He looked down and saw clearly that the ground was solid, and covered in black sand.

He easily pushed himself to his feet and took a few steps forward.

"Hello?" He called. His voice echoed all around him.

"Jonas." Came a familiar voice, it wasn't so much greeting him as it was telling him who he was.

Jonas quickly spun around, and came face to face with a familiar figure. Granted, the figure only came to about his hip, but it was familiar nonetheless.

"Mollie?" He questioned, Mollie Lynch had been a childhood friend of his, it was funny she should show up now, not to mention it was impossible.

When they were young, he and Mollie spent every spare moment with each other. They were neighbors and lived only five minutes apart. They were the only children on Jonas's street and were the same age.

However, Mollie met an untimely end while she and Jonas were playing in the forest near her house. The day had started out as any other summer day. Jonas got up early, had his breakfast, got dressed and quickly ran the five minutes to Mollie's home, where she'd asked him to meet her that morning.

He knocked lightly on the door, and her mother greeted him happily. When Mollie had come to the front door, her mother told the children to be careful and sent them off.

Mollie knew the forest like the back of her hand, she knew what was dangerous and what was safe. However, today was different. Perhaps it was because of the storm they'd gotten the night before, with the rain had come the wind, a wind which was strong enough to uproot trees and topple them. That would be enough to make a forest look different from previously.

Mollie had claimed that she'd been in this particular area a hundred times before, and there was nothing to worry about. Jonas trusted her, he had no reason not to. She'd always been right about the woods before, why should now be any different? But it _was_ different.

They'd began a game of hide and seek. Being children of only nine years old, it was one of their favorite games. They'd played it millions of times before in this same forest.

Jonas was counting, ended at fifty, and called to Mollie to see if he could convince her to possibly give her position away. When she didn't answer, he thought nothing of it. As he searched around the area of forest, he heard her scream.

"Nice try Mollie." Jonas had called, thinking that she was only trying to scare him a bit, after all, she used to tell him ghost stories about a screaming woman that haunted these woods.

Mollie screamed again.

"I know its you Mollie, and you're not scaring me." Jonas yelled back. She'd tried this attempt at scaring him before, and for some reason it always seemed to work, except _this _day.

Now, looking back, he'd wished that he _had _been frightened, and gone to see if she was okay.

"Jonas, help me!" Came another cry.

"Come on, you don't expect me to believe that the screaming woman has you, do you?" Jonas asked her.

"This isn't a joke! Please Jonas!" Mollie yelled again. Something in her voice, told Jonas that something _was_ wrong, and with his heart beating wildly, he'd run to where her pleas had been coming from.

"Mollie?" He called, not able to find her at first.

"Jonas, down here!" She yelled back.

Her call was heard from only about three feet away and he ran forward. His footing faltered and he stopped up instantly, realizing that he had reached a drop off. He looked down and his eyes went wide as he saw Mollie clinging to a rocky outcrop about three feet down. Her pale blue eyes looked up at him desperately, and her blonde waves were being tossed in her face from the wind of a waterfall a fair distance below her.

"Mollie!" Jonas yelled and dropped to his stomach, reaching his hands out over the edge to grab her.

He managed to get a hold on her pink T-shirt and heisted her up about a foot, she grabbed at Jonas's hand and made contact. He wrapped his hand around hers, and pulled. As he got her almost to the top, his grip slipped. He tightened his hold and found that he was now only holding onto her by her fingers. He quickly reached his other hand down, to take hold of his other hand.

"Pull yourself up!" Jonas called to her.

"I can't. It's too far!" Mollie's voice was desperate.

"You have to!"

"I can't!"

Jonas shimmed further to the edge and reached down, getting a tighter grip on her hand.

"I've got you, pull yourself up!" Jonas called.

Mollie was crying by now, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I can't!" She said between sobs.

"Yes you can!"

Mollie slipped again, and screamed. Jonas still had her, but barely. He tried desperately to pull her up, but found he wasn't able to. It was at that moment, Mollie slipped completely from his grasp and plunged into the water below.

Jonas was pulled harshly from his thoughts and recollections as the figure in front of him walked toward him to take his hand.

"You've changed." Mollie replied, a smile coming to her face.

"You haven't." Jonas stated, a bit dumbfounded at how any of this was possible.

Mollie shook her head, a motion which told him that she _knew_ she hadn't changed.

"Where am I?" Jonas questioned.

"This is your subconscious mind." Mollie replied, her pale eyes watching Jonas closely.

"Then why are _you_ here?"

"I'm here to guide you."

"Guide me where?" Jonas questioned.

"Out."


	4. Taking a Chance

**Chapter 4: Taking a Chance**

Colonel O'Neill had finally convinced Dr. Fraser to let him out of bed and now he sat next to Major Carter as she regained consciousness.

Her eyes fluttered and locked with O'Neill's strained, brown gaze.

"Hey." He said quietly as Sam shifted her head to face him better.

"Sir, what happened?" She asked.

"We're not entirely sure, but as near as we can tell, it was an ambush." Jack told her.

"Teal'c and Jonas?" Sam questioned.

The act that O'Neill was putting on for her own benefit faltered for a split second, as pain crossed over his eyes. Carter drew in a breath.

"Sir?" She wondered.

"Teal'c is fine, I saw him earlier. He just caught a glancing blow."

"What about Jonas?"

"I'm afraid he wasn't so lucky. He was hit twice, his wrist was broken, and he cracked some of his ribs." Jack replied.

"He's going to be all right though, isn't he?" Sam asked.

"Carter, he hit his head, and cracked his skull in two places."

"Sir?"

"Carter, he's in a coma." O'Neill replied finally, feeling as though he'd beat around the bush enough.

Sam was speechless, her eyes glittered with concern as she searched Jack's face for a sign that he was joking. The Colonel had a tendency to do that most of the time, but from what she saw, this was not one of those times.

* * *

Jonas sighed and sunk to the ground, not knowing where to go from his current position, he'd been walking for what seemed to be miles, yet nothing had changed.

"Mollie! How do I get out?" He yelled. His childhood friend had vanished nearly an hour ago and he hadn't seen her since.

"Don't you know? It's _your_ mind after all." Came the reply as Mollie stepped out of the shadows.

"You said you were going to _guide_ me." Jonas said.

"Oh that's right, I did, didn't I?"

Jonas nodded, and looked solemnly at her.

"Well, you have a variety of paths that you can take, but only one will lead you out. It's your mission to find which one." Mollie stated.

Suddenly, Jonas's surroundings changed. He was now standing in the centre of a shadowed area, there were six paths that he could see, none of them were marked, and each lead in a different direction.

"Which one?" Jonas called.

"Can't tell, but I can tell you this, some of your paths may cross." Came Mollie's voice.

Jonas sighed helplessly, Mollie was supposed to be his guide. She wasn't doing a very good job at it, at least not in his opinion.

"There is a way out though, _right_?" Jonas asked.

"Well, ultimately that's up to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, whether there's a way out or not, is up to you."

Jonas remained silent and surveyed his paths. Finally, deciding on one by chance, he made his way out of the clearing and down the path.


	5. Guilt

**Chapter 5: Guilt**

Jonas's chosen path seemed to go on forever, constantly twisting and turning like a snake's movement. There was a cold chill wafting around him, one that made him shiver in spite of himself.

He came to the end of the trail, and was met with something solid, a wall of sorts, something barricading him off from going further. He pressed his hands against it. It felt warm under his touch.

It was useless to get through this way, and so he turned to go and was met by the sight of Mollie, blocking him.

"I thought you'd gone." Jonas replied.

"I have something to show you." The girl stated simply.

"Look there." She stated, pointing behind Jonas.

"I can't get through that way, it's . . . " His sentence trailed off as he heard a familiar voice speaking to him.

"_Jonas, I know you probably can't hear me, but well, there's no harm in trying is there?"_ The voice was that of Colonel O'Neill and he turned to face where the voice was coming from. An image hovered in front of him, Colonel O'Neill seated next to him and speaking.

"_Look, I'm sorry, I never should've told you to come when you did. It was a bad calculation on my part_. _If you'd decided to stay put and go against my orders, this probably wouldn't have happened."_

The Colonel felt some sort of guilt for what happened? What_ had_ happened? Jonas didn't even remember.

Then suddenly, the image before him flashed, and switched to the view of a planet, with Jaffa warriors crouched in the bushes firing at him. He looked down the hill that he was on, and saw Major Carter take a hit.

From there, the image flickered again and he heard O'Neill's voice yelling at him to come on. He left his shelter and began the descent downwards. As he ran, he felt searing pain in his shoulder, then in his back. He toppled down the hill, felt something in his wrist give way with a snap, and was struck by terrible pain in his head.

He yelled out in agony, dropping to his knees in front of the flickering image and was left breathless, on the ground. The image before him changed once more to the sight of O'Neill sitting next to him, and looking at something in alarm.

"_Doc! You'd better get in here!"_ Jack yelled, moving to get up. There was the sound of hurrying footsteps and Fraser's shout.

"_What's wrong Colonel?"_ Were her very words, then the image vanished.

Jonas remained on the ground, looking at the spot where he'd just seen the picture, with confusion and a bit of desperation.

"What's wrong? Mollie what's happening to me out there?" Jonas asked quickly.

"Don't worry. You're fine, for the moment." Mollie replied innocently.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jonas asked.

* * *

"Doc! You'd better get in here!" O'Neill called as he saw the lines measuring Jonas's heart-rate spike rapidly, and quicken in their pace.

"What's wrong Colonel?" Fraser asked, rushing in.

"What's wrong? His heart's beating ten times as fast as it should!" Jack exclaimed.

Fraser looked at the screen and saw that O'Neill was indeed correct. She hurried to check the young man's vitals, worried that something was beginning to go wrong. As she reached his bedside, to reach for a pulse, Jonas's heartbeat stabilized, albeit it was beating quicker than it should've been.

"What were you doing sir?" Fraser wondered.

"Nothing! I was just talking to him and that monitor went all wacko. Is he okay?" Jack asked desperately.

Janet nodded. "He's fine sir. For now."


	6. The Road Less Traveled

**Chapter 6: The Road Less Traveled**

As Jonas made his way back down the trail he'd taken, the pain in his head began to slowly dissipate. He heard a noise and turned to the left only to see a stream bubbling past.

He was hurled into his past once again. The stream, it was where he'd gone after Mollie died. He'd gone there to think. They'd visited the stream together many times, and he felt her presence all around him when he was there.

"I _was_ there Jonas. I watched over you until you were sixteen, and the impact of my . . . uh . . . demise had begun to wear off, as well as the guilt that you felt." Mollie said silently, clearly finding it difficult to speak of her own end.

Jonas sat beside the stream, tossing stones into the water and watching the ripples that they created. At the time, he was fifteen, and to ease his pain, he buried himself in books.

He was pulled back from his past and found himself sitting beside the path that he was on, clutching a stone in his right hand. Confused at how he'd gotten there, he rose to his feet and threw the pebble aside. It landed, and rolled, with a scrabble of dirt.

He continued to go on, returning back to the main clearing, where he stopped, contemplating where he should go next. In the spur of the moment, he decided on the path directly across from him and started down it.

The trail split in two parts, one which seemed fairly easy going, and the other, which looked completely treacherous.

"Now what?" Jonas called.

There was a noise behind him and he spun to see Colonel O'Neill watching him closely.

"Colonel?" Jonas asked.

"Oh look, now you've done it Jonas. You really got yourself into a mess _this _time didn't you?" Jack stated simply.

"Sir, what are you doing here?" Jonas asked.

"I dunno, it's _your_ brain, you tell _me_." O'Neill replied.

Jonas gaped openly at the Colonel, standing in the centre of the path, blocking his escape.

"Well?" Jack asked.

Jonas shrugged, he didn't know why the Colonel was there either.

"How can I help you, if you won't help yourself?" Jack asked.

"What are you talking about Colonel?" Jonas wondered.

"Oh, nothing. I must be getting senile in my old age." The Colonel replied casually.

Jonas looked away for a second, back to the two paths, and when he looked back. Colonel O'Neill was gone.

"Colonel?" Jonas called, there was no answer.

"Mollie?" Jonas asked. The child stepped up next to him.

"Yes Jonas?" She asked.

"Where do I go?"

"That's for you to decide, but if it were _me_, I'd take the path less traveled." She replied.

"That's the way then." Jonas stated. Perhaps Mollie _was_ going to be of help after all.

With that, Jonas began down the rockiest trail, also the one with the most potholes and hills from what he could see.

About mid-way down that particular trail, Jonas was stopped by a familiar smell. He sniffed at the air and soon recognized what it was.

He thought back to when he was seventeen. It was the year that his grandfather had passed and the smell that was so familiar, smelled exactly like the cologne that his Grandfather used to wear.

Jonas had been close to his grandfather, and it all came as quite a shock when he passed away. If he remembered correctly, it was an evening in December when his family received word of the news from the local hospital.

Jonas was pulled back to his subconscious mind then, and his eyes burned with tears that threatened to fall.

"Why am I being reminded of all of this? I went through it once, I shouldn't have to go through it again. Mollie!" Jonas yelled.

The girl was sitting a short distance away, her blonde hair tied back in a braid at the nape of her neck. As she watched Jonas, and the pain that he was clearly going through, her eyes clouded with tears.

"I'm sorry Jonas, but I haven't got control over your memories. Those are yours alone, and only _you_ can control them." She replied sadly.

"You told me to take this path!" Jonas yelled, he was frustrated and angry all at the same time.

"I only suggested it, you didn't have to take it if you didn't want to." The girl replied quietly, hurt by the tone that Jonas had suddenly taken with her.

"I just want to get out of here." Sighed Jonas.

"I know you do, but as I said, it's ultimately up to _you_ if there's a way out or not."


	7. Controlling The Memories

**Chapter 7: Controlling The Memories**

Finally, regaining his composure, Jonas pressed on down the path. _He_ had control over his memories? What was _that _supposed to mean?

_Come on Jonas, you're quite smart, think!_ He thought to himself. If he had control over his thoughts, then he should be able to choose what he remembered, shouldn't he?

For the sake of trying, he thought of a particular memory that he wanted to recall. Much to his surprise, it didn't work out as he planned. Instead of the memory he wanted, he got one completely different.

He was tossed back into his more recent past, and heard Colonel O'Neill's teasing laughter as Jonas sat on the floor of a cage that he'd accidentally set off on a mission a couple of months ago.

"_Don't free the animals!"_ Jack replied, barely able to contain himself.

"_Just get me out of here!"_ Were Jonas's words, or close to the words that he spoke, he figured.

In spite of his situation, he found himself laughing at the new memory and heard Mollie giggling nearby.

"I can't believe you got yourself caged!" The girl laughed.

"Not by choice, I assure you."

"No, it wouldn't be, would it?"

"Certainly not." Jonas answered. Mollie looked at him then, and seemed to be listening to something.

"Jonas, look at this." She replied, stepping aside to reveal another flickering image of the infirmary once again. This time however, it was Dr. Fraser who was speaking to him.

"_Colonel O'Neill doesn't like to admit it, but he really does like you, and he's worried about you. So are your other team mates. Jonas, if you can hear me at all, and I don't doubt you can. We're all pulling for you, so just hang in there." _The image disappeared again.

"They care about you Jonas." Mollie replied.

"Yeah, I heard that." Jonas was standing shocked at the fact that Jack was actually concerned. Although he didn't know why he was so shocked. It was the Colonel's duty to watch out for his team, and he thought that he failed in allowing Jonas to fall victim to this situation.

With that thought, came another memory. A few weeks ago, the mission with SG-8. O'Neill had shot Jonas and came searching for him. Once O'Neill found him, he was willing to sacrifice himself to get them out of there, and so had gone to do away with the demon himself.

"He _shot_ you?" Mollie replied.

"Yeah, but he did it to save me." Then Jonas became curious as to how Mollie was hearing his thoughts.

"How are you . . . "He began.

"Hearing your thoughts?" Mollie finished for him.

"Exactly."

"Did you forget that I'm part of your subconscious mind? Although you're thinking to yourself, I can still hear you, because I'm part of you." The girl said.

Jonas nodded, that _did _make sense.

Jonas thought back to the same mission that he'd become caged on, and recalled how Jack felt about him deciding to joust. Then he recalled how concerned Jack had been when Jonas was thrown from Serge's back, as well as when he became trapped in the burning barn.

"Jousting? Jonas, I can't believe you!" Mollie replied in amusement.

"I know, what was I thinking?" Jonas wondered.

Then his thoughts wandered to something else, the desperation of the king's daughter when she saw her father murdered.

"That's awful! No child should have to go through that!" Mollie responded.

"Tell me about it."

Jonas continued down the rocky path and halted at once as another familiar smell drifted toward him. He instantly recognized it as the smell of the Cora plants on that planet where Major Carter was almost thrown to her death.

He recalled how he'd trusted Coris, the child that seemed so innocent, and eventually turned out to be pure evil. It was the same mission where Daniel Jackson had showed up to help. Daniel had pulled him from the river after he fell. He'd pulled him to safety.

Jonas also remembered how cold the planet had been, and how dark it was. The feel of the water on his skin, the pain of hitting the face of the cliff after being tossed from it.

He remembered the strange visions that he'd had of the disaster of the planet.

All of this flashed through his mind at top speed, all seeming to blur together and become one picture.

"Oh Jonas, how terrible!" Mollie yelled. It was then clear that she was experiencing all that Jonas was, as far as the memory flashes went.

Suddenly, the memories stopped, and Jonas found himself standing on the edge of the cliff that he'd fallen from, staring into the dark water far below him.

"You must've been scared to death." Mollie whispered.

"Yeah, I had nightmares for weeks after that." Jonas admitted. He then recalled the nightmare that had drawn Lieutenant Gray of SG-8 at his yell, to see if there was a rogue Goa'uld on the loose.

"She thought you were crazy." Mollie giggled.

"Tell me about it." Jonas said.

He then backed away from the cliff edge, having reached another dead end, and turned back to take the path that looked less treacherous.

As he walked away, he heard the thumping of feet as Mollie ran to catch up with him.


	8. Seeking Approval

**Chapter 8: Seeking Approval**

Jonas reached the fork in the road, and made a turn to go to the path that looked to be less treacherous. He began down the path and was yet again swept into another of his memories.

The rescue mission for Lieutenant Gray of SG-8. He'd been captured as well, and thrown into a cell. It was one of the most powerful, yet fearful memories that he possessed. He recalled how the Goa'uld leader of the planet had tried to use him and Lieutenant Gray to get Earth's gate address and an iris code to get through. To do this, she'd forced them to relive their most terrible memories.

At the time his was the fear of the dark that he had accumulated on the mission where he met Coris. The power that this certain Goa'uld had over him was frightening. True enough, since then, his fear of the dark had dissipated into near nothingness, yet he occasionally still had a nightmare about that awful mission of darkness.

"I used to be afraid of the dark." Mollie replied quietly.

"All children are at one point, I think." Jonas answered.

"I never was." Came another voice, not belonging to Mollie or himself. He turned to see Colonel O'Neill sitting cross-legged on the ground, grinning like he'd just won first prize.

"Oh come _on_, you _had_ to have been, you just don't remember it." Mollie argued.

"Nope, not me, and it never occurred to me that a man of your age could have that fear either, Jonas." Jack stated.

Jonas's face blushed at O'Neill's words. Jack pushed himself off of the ground and sauntered over to where Jonas stood.

"So, you still scared of the dark? Afraid the bogeyman might getcha?" O'Neill teased. Jonas didn't much like this conversation, or where it was heading.

"No sir, that's in the past." Jonas replied.

"We're in your brain, and you're still calling me _sir_?" The Colonel said.

"What _should _I call you?" Jonas questioned.

"Call me what you wish, but its not going to change anything."

"What do you mean by _anything_?"

"Oh you know . . . _anything_. You still looking for a way out of here?"

"Yes sir."

"How're you gonna find it standing around talking to me?"

"Colonel, I know I've asked you this before, but _why_ are you here?"

"Not a clue, your brain's a scary place Jonas, full of dark secrets. It's definitely not a place I'd recommend for a vacation." O'Neill scoffed, looking absently around.

Jonas sighed, the Colonel wasn't being much of a help to him at the moment.

"Jonas let me ask you something." Jack replied then.

"Yes sir?" Jonas asked.

"Why are you always looking for approval? _Especially_ my approval, I wouldn't think it'd be of much good to you." Jack said simply.

Jonas though about that for a moment, he didn't exactly understand Jack's words, but he tried his best.

"Sir?"

"Oh come on, you know what I mean, always eager to please, worried that someone might think poorly of you, you know, paranoia like that."

"I didn't believe I did that sir."

"Stop calling me _sir_! We're in _your_ brain for cryin' out loud!"

Jonas was slightly taken aback at the statement that had just been made to him, but he quickly shrugged it off.

"Sorry Colonel." Jonas replied, not knowing what else to say.

"Look, there ya go again, apologizing and seeking my approval. Well, you've _got _my approval, you can stop trying to gain it now." O'Neill seemed to be acting completely out of character at the moment.

"Colonel, I don't understand." Jonas replied truthfully, he didn't see what any of this had to do with him finding a way out.

"Of course ya don't. How about you just forget about it and try to get yourself out of this place, huh?" Jack replied.

"Yes sir, that's what I'm trying to do." Jonas answered.


	9. A Valuable Member

**Chapter 9: A Valuable Member**

As Jonas stood in the path, he turned his head for a split second, and when he turned back, Jack was yet again gone from sight. He sighed loudly to himself and continued down the path.

Ten minutes later he stopped to the sound of Colonel O'Neill's voice. And when he turned to the direction it was coming from, he was once again met by the flickering image of his team leader, seated next to his bed.

"_Damn it Jonas, you couldn't stay out of trouble could you? It figures that your monitors would go all wacky_ _when I'm trying to tell ya something." _Jack replied, frustration eminent in his tone. He saw the Colonel look around the infirmary and sigh.

"_Well, as I was saying. You're a valuable member of my team, and I wouldn't want to lose you, so hang in there, and hope to see ya back in the waking world soon. I've gotta go now. I hear Fraser coming to shoo me off."_ O'Neill replied, sneaking a look over his shoulder.

Jonas heard Fraser's foot falls, and saw her petite form come into view.

"_Okay Colonel, visiting hours are over. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave." _Replied the doctor.

"_Yeah, yeah, I'm going."_ Jack said and pushed himself from his chair.

With that, the flitting image sizzled out of existence. Once again, left alone in his subconscious, he heaved a desperate sigh and felt a presence next to him.

"Jonas? Are you all right?" Mollie questioned.

"I'll be better once I can get out of here, but so far all I've hit are dead ends."

"I know, it's hard, but if I know you as well as I think I do, you'll find your way, it's just going to take a little bit longer." Mollie stated reassuringly.

Jonas continued to walk ahead and was stopped with the sound of something dropping. He looked down and saw a book laying face down on the ground, open and gathering dust.

He knelt to pick it up and looked at the text on its pages. He sat down, softly, amazed at what he was holding. It was an old school book, then he was bombarded by another bout of memories.

He'd always been a quick study, even as a child. If you were looking for Jonas, he'd likely be in his room with his nose stuffed in a book, studying something that intrigued him. He was excited about learning and that was why he studied constantly. Anything new intrigued him, he wanted to find everything out that he could.

Schoolwork had always come easy to him, it was something he enjoyed. He couldn't remember ever struggling with school and studying, to him, it had been fun, a way to feed his mind and learn all he could about the world around him, he was curious by nature, so it seemed only natural that he'd be curious about learning.

He tossed the book aside, and got to his feet to walk on, yet again coming to a dead end, having encountered a few more hard memories along the way, memories that he preferred to forget, and not mention.

He'd left the path, gone by the fork in the road and came once again to the clearing. Now he stood, motionless, feeling a cool draft pass over him. He was wondering where to go next when there was yet another image that flickered, projecting the happenings taking place on the outside world.

This time, however, he was surprised to see Sam sitting next to him, he'd seen her get shot, and found it hard to believe Fraser would let her out of bed. His questions were answered however, when he saw that she was in hospital wear and that Dr. Fraser stood nearby, watching her carefully.

"_Is he going to wake up?" _Sam questioned the doctor near her.

"_As I've been telling everyone else, it's up to him if he's going to pull through, there's not much else that I can do for him." _Stated Janet.

"_Can he hear me?" _Carter asked.

"_I don't doubt he can, most comatose patients are still aware of what goes on around them and may even respond to it. He still shows signs of brain activity, so he may be perceiving us right at this moment."_

"_Jonas?"_ Sam questioned softly, she reached a hand out to grasp his, and although Jonas couldn't feel the grasp, he knew it was there.

"_I know you've probably been told this by everyone that's been in, but just hang in there, we need you. You're too important to be lost to us."_

Jonas listened to the Major's words, as she continued speaking with him, and he felt his heart jump a bit, knowing that he was an important member to the team that he'd tried so hard to fit in with the past few months.

Sam finished speaking, and the image ceased to exist.

"Wow." Was all Jonas could come up with.

"I've got to get out of here." He vowed, locking eyes with Mollie, who nodded in agreement.


	10. Holding Fate in Your Hands

**Chapter 10: Holding Fate in Your Hands**

Jonas picked another path randomly and started down it. It was quiet, no signs of any memories down this lane. He walked forward, hopeful that this might finally be the way out he was looking for.

As he continued, he heard Mollie humming happily from behind him and turned to meet her smiling face. He was almost positive that it was a smile of reassurance, she was trying to keep him hopeful, and he appreciated it.

"You're still stuck in here?" Came Colonel O'Neill's voice. Jonas turned, startled by the Colonel's sudden appearance, although, he didn't know what surprised him about it. O'Neill had done this before, quite recently actually.

"Yes sir, I still haven't found a way out." Jonas replied after he'd regained his composure.

"You'd think there'd be a _huge_ sign marked exit, around here _some_ place wouldn't you?" Jack asked.

"Sir?"

"These minds aren't built with safety mechanisms incase of accidental trappery. It's a shame though." O'Neill continued.

"Why is that Mollie? Why are there no mechanisms like that?" Jack questioned, although how he knew the name of Jonas's childhood friend, was a mystery.

"I don't know. Why _would_ I?" Mollie asked, uncertain.

"Well, don't you _run _this joint?" Jack questioned.

"No, I'm just a guide." She replied.

"Ah, so _you're_ the safety mechanism." O'Neill stated simply.

"If you'd like to call me that, but I wouldn't have picked that name." Mollie said.

"Yeah well, I never _was _good with naming things."

Jonas watched the exchange between the two people curiously. It was actually amusing, despite his current situation.

He took a few more steps forward, still hearing the conversation between the two figments of his mind.

As Jonas continued to walk forward, he saw another path cross the one he was currently on.

"Your paths may cross." Jonas muttered, remembering what Mollie had warned him of previously.

"What?" Mollie asked.

"The paths are crossing, which do I take, or do I keep going?" Jonas asked.

"Do what you feel best, but be careful, a few paths also lead to nothing, which will bring you to your end, but you won't know which ones hold that fate." She said.

Jonas froze. His end? Mollie hadn't mentioned any of this before. She said that the paths may cross, that there's a way out, but she didn't say _anything_ about meeting his end.

"Ultimately Jonas, you're holding fate in your hands, and not knowing where it'll take you." Mollie finished.


	11. Familiar Danger

**Chapter 11: Familiar Danger**

"Why didn't you tell me this _before_?" Jonas wondered, a bit annoyed, and now also frightened.

Mollie shrugged. "You never asked." She replied innocently.

"I shouldn't have to, not with something _this_ important!" Jonas shouted.

"Please, I'm sorry Jonas. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." Mollie said, her voice thin and desperate, her eyes glittered like she was about to cry. She didn't think Jonas would ever get this mad at her.

"Well in a matter such as this you should've told me! I've been picking paths at random and now you tell me I could've very easily _killed_ myself in doing so?" Jonas was frustrated, and angry at the same time, he didn't mean to lash out at her.

"I'm sorry!" Mollie yelled and then she ran off, sobbing wildly.

Colonel O'Neill stood, taken aback at what had just happened.

"Oh way to _go_ Jonas, scare the kid off." O'Neill said simply.

"She should've _told_ me!" Jonas was still fuming.

"Yes, she should've, but can you really blame her? She didn't want to scare you from taking the path that will lead you out. The only way to get out of here is to take risks. Would you have picked the paths you did if she'd told you that one may lead you to ceratin death?" Jack asked.

Jonas thought about that for a moment, then in defeat shook his head in the negative.

"No, probably not." Jonas answered.

"Exactly!" O'Neill called out in triumph, he'd proven his point.

"So where do I go?" Jonas asked.

Colonel O'Neill shrugged. "Don't ask me, I'm not your guide. You just sent your guide away. Aren't you _screwed_ now?" O'Neill replied.

Jonas swallowed, "Mollie? Mollie, come back, I need you." Jonas pleaded. The girl didn't show up.

His heart beating wildly now, Jonas struggled with the way that he should go. Finally deciding on continuing in the direction he was headed, he moved off, Colonel O'Neill following behind him.

As he moved on, he heard the clear sound of beeping monitors, and the distinct voice of Colonel O'Neill speaking to him.

"Is this it?" Jonas asked, his heart leaping.

"I dunno." Jack said.

"I think this is it! I think this is the way out!" Jonas exclaimed.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Jack said.

"It is, it's the only thing it _coul_d be."

"You know the old saying that your mind can play tricks on you? What if this is a trick?" Jack asked, his voice desperate.

"I don't think it is." Jonas replied and started forward.

"No Jonas, stop Jonas." O'Neill said boredly, as though it didn't make a difference to him one way or another. Jonas had _already_ chosen not to hear him, whatever happened next would be Jonas's problem alone

Jonas chose not to heed the Colonel's warning, and kept going.

As he drew closer to the sounds, he felt the ground give way beneath him and he fell, catching hold of the edge in a desperate attempt to keep himself from plummeting.

"Colonel!" Jonas called. O'Neill appeared over him, looking down at him.

"I tried to warn you." He replied simply, not making any move to help.

"Please, help me up!" Jonas pleaded.

"I wish I could, but I can't!" O'Neill sounded truly sorry now, and pain was heard in his words.

"Why not?" Jonas asked, still holding on.

"Because I can't interfere! I'm only here to give you words of advice, I tried to do that and you wouldn't listen. With that simple act of tuning me out, you made it so I can't help you." O'Neill called.

"Colonel, please!" Jonas called.

"I can't!" Jack sounded frustrated now.

"Jonas!" Came a desperate scream from Mollie. He saw her frightened face peering down at him seconds after she yelled.

"Mollie, help me, please!" Jonas called.

The child dropped to her stomach and thrust her hands over the edge, gripping Jonas's hands in her tiny grasp. Suddenly, this scene seemed eerily familiar. It was the same when they were nine, and Mollie met her end, with Jonas not being able to do anything about it.

"Grab on!" Mollie yelled.

Jonas reached and his grip slipped, the child was struggling to hold him from falling.

* * *

In the infirmary, Jack sat next to Jonas once again. The Colonel was beginning to nod off, when he heard the monitors beep madly, signifying a critical condition.

"Doctor! Get in here!" O'Neill yelled.

Fraser rushed in, followed closely by Sam, who had heard the shout of her CO.

"What happened?" Sam yelled as Fraser gently pushed O'Neill aside so she could get in.

Jack shrugged helplessly. The monitors registering Jonas's heart rate flat-lined at that moment and Fraser jumped into overdrive.

"He's flat-lining! Charge paddles to two hundred!" Janet yelled indicating the machine that would shock Jonas's heart back into beating.


	12. Helping Hands

**A/N: Okay people, this chapter's gonna jump around a bit, prepare yourself, and try not to get lost!**

**Chapter 12: Helping Hands**

"Clear!" Shouted Fraser, giving Jonas a jolt with the paddles. The young man's body jumped, but there was no change on the monitors.

"Damn it Jonas, come on!" Yelled Jack, he moved in closer so he could get a better look as another shock was administered to the man.

Sam was shaking slightly, well aware that she may have been watching her friend's death. She moved in behind O'Neill. Carter gasped slightly at the sight of Jonas's pale, still face, as he was shocked yet again.

Jack heard her gasp and reached to her shoulder, gripping it reassuringly. She leaned into his touch, and watched the scene play out before her.

* * *

Jonas was still gripping Mollie's hand tightly, but her grip was failing and he felt himself slipping.

"Jonas, pull yourself up!" Mollie pleaded.

Jonas tried to do so, but only managed in pulling the girl further to the edge.

"I can't!" Jonas shouted in panic.

"Yes you can! Just do it!" Mollie cried, tears running down her delicate cheeks.

"If I do, you'll end up falling as well, just let me go!" Jonas yelled, not wanting to die, but most of all not wanting to kill Mollie . . . again.

"No! I won't do it!"

Colonel O'Neill watched the scene before him, desperately wishing there was something he could do to help, but knowing that these two had to get through this on their own.

"I won't kill you _again_ Mollie, just let go!" Jonas yelled.

The girl stopped instantly, not letting go, but not pulling either. Her face was blank, and her eyes, still moist from her tears, glistened now in a different way, astonishment, surprise, confusion, or a mix of all.

Jonas and Mollie locked gazes and held the lock for a few short seconds.

"Jonas, no! You didn't kill me." Mollie replied, her voice quivering.

"Yes, I did. I should've come to your call earlier. I should've believed you the first time I heard you. Maybe then you wouldn't have died, your grip wouldn't have been weakened from hanging on. I could've saved you if only I'd came sooner." Jonas said, knowing very well that he was near death, but also wanting Mollie's forgiveness for what he'd done so many years ago. Something that he saw now, she clearly didn't blame on him.

"Jonas, don't blame yourself, it wasn't you." Mollie said softly. Jonas slipped again from her grip, and she screamed in fear. Jonas looked up at her through wide, and terrified eyes.

* * *

"Again!" Fraser yelled.

At that moment, Teal'c hurried into the room where Sam and Jack stood, frightened over losing a friend.

"What has happened?" Teal'c asked, watching the scene with a bit of shock.

"He flat-lined, damn it! His heart stopped!" O'Neill yelled in frustration.

"Have the efforts to revive him not been successful?" Teal'c questioned, he was clearly a bit frightened over the whole ordeal as well.

"No!" Jack shouted again.

There was a faint beep of the monitor.

"I've got a rhythm!" Fraser shouted victoriously.

"It's weak, but it's there." She finished.

"Yes!" shouted O'Neill, a smile coming to his face.

The monitors still showed a weak rhythm and Jack grabbed Jonas's hand in a comforting gesture. Sam did the same thing, but slightly higher on the arm.

At that moment, the heart rate began to jump sporadically, and soon fell back to a flat line.

"No!" Sam yelled in frustration. "Come on Jonas, stay with us!"

* * *

Jonas struggled to pull himself up, to no avail, and at that moment two more hands grabbed his, although he didn't know who's they were.

He looked up into the faces of Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. The faces were fuzzy and distorted though, like they weren't really there, he also saw Teal'c standing behind them.

"No! Come on Jonas, stay with us!" Yelled Sam. Jonas then realized, he was seeing what was going on around him in the waking world, and that's why his friends' faces weren't as clear as Mollie's, because they weren't really there.

"Pull yourself up!" Mollie called. Jonas tried again, slipping slightly, but soon finding the strength from within him to struggle up, bit by bit, with the aid of Carter and O'Neill's hands, unknowingly, his team mates were helping Mollie in her efforts to save Jonas, Teal'c also reached forward to aid in the action.

Jonas forced himself to use all the strength he could muster to pull himself from the pit, and onto the edge, where he slid forward, Mollie sobbing in relief.

Carter, Teal'c and O'Neill's forms vanished at that moment.

* * *

The monitor lines jumped again and fell into a rhythm that made Fraser feel better.

"He's back. Jonas is a fighter, I can tell you that. However, he's not out of the woods yet." Janet said, her face showing the strain that she was feeling.

Carter, Teal'c and O'Neill visibly relaxed as Jonas's heart fell into a steady beat.

* * *

Jonas lay on his back looking up into Mollie's smiling face, and also into Colonel O'Neill's relieved expression.

"That was scary." Mollie replied.

"Let's not do _that_ again." Jonas gasped out as he caught his breath.

"Good idea, maybe next time you'll listen to me and not rush into something you know nothing about." Jack replied.


	13. Forgiveness

**Chapter 13: Forgiveness**

****

"Mollie, I'm sorry." Jonas apologized.

"For what?" The girl asked in confusion, her brow wrinkled to exaggerate the emotion.

"Everything, I'm sorry for snapping at you, I'm sorry for nearly killing you _again_, I'm sorry I wanted to go against your word, just, everything." Jonas replied

"For the last time, you _didn't_ kill me. I forgave you a long time ago, so if you're looking for forgiveness, you got it."

Jonas's face relaxed, and he even managed a small smile.

"Now, can you help me to get out of here?" Jonas questioned the girl.

"You know, I think I can do that now." Mollie replied with a smile. Before, she hadn't been able to help him because he had put up a barrier to keep her out. A barrier that was fueled by his own guilt over losing her. Now, that barrier had fallen with the simple words that had just been exchanged between them as well as the memories that Jonas had been experiencing. Both aided in her ability to help her friend.

"Well now you know which way_ not_ to go at least." O'Neill smirked.

"Right, so which way is the _right_ way?" Jonas asked, turning to Mollie.

"I can take you to the right road, but you have to finish the journey by yourself." The girl said.

"All right. Thank you." Jonas said, following Mollie as she walked off. He looked back to O'Neill who hadn't moved.

"Are you coming, Sir?" He asked.

Jack shook his head in the negative. "Nah. I think you learned your lesson. You won't be needing me anymore. Oh, but before I leave, one final piece of advice." He began.

"Yes Sir?" Jonas questioned.

"Stop searching for everyone's approval, stop trying to prove yourself to the team. To them, you're valuable enough already. They care about you Jonas. Don't take that for granted by always looking to gain their approval, you've already got it. You get my drift?" Jack replied.

"Yes sir, I understand. Thank you." Jonas replied, watching O'Neill's gentle gaze.

He replayed the last few words that Colonel O'Neill had said, and found something about them to be strange . . . what was it? Oh, if O'Neill was O'Neill, why did he present the conversation in third person? Why didn't he just use words like us, or we, or even I? Unless . . . no, it couldn't be.

"Don't mention it, just get yourself outta here." Jack replied, pulling Jonas from his thoughts and winking at him as though he'd heard everything that Jonas had just wondered to himself about.

Jonas turned away, but gave one final look back, to see if O'Neill was sure. For a moment, he thought he saw Jack's image falter and become that of Daniel Jackson, who nodded and vanished from sight, but he couldn't be sure.

Jonas stood in amazement for a few moments, surprised at the appearance of Daniel,_ if_ that had indeed been who he saw. He had known from the start that there was something about O'Neill that didn't quite fit, and now he knew what it was. He smiled, and followed after Mollie, who had stopped to wait for him.

* * *

Back in the clearing which Jonas had first been introduced to, Mollie stood at the entrance of a path.

There was another image flickering before him and he saw this time that General Hammond was standing over him.

"_Your team's worried about you, son. Now, I know you've had a hard time fitting in around here, but whether you see it or not, you _have_ held your own, or Colonel O'Neill would've asked me to pull you from his team a long time ago. All I can really say is: Keep fighting_, _and I hope to see you soon." _Hammond replied and the image before Jonas ceased to exist.

Jonas was honored to have heard those words from General Hammond. He looked to where Mollie was standing and smiled.

"Is this the right path?" Jonas asked.

"No, but I want you to remember something before you leave." Mollie replied.

"This way." She said, and a puzzled Jonas followed her down the path she was standing at.

Slightly into the trail, Jonas stopped, hearing the sound of laughter from children. He stopped and looked around, searching for a source, and he found it.

As a scene from a movie, Jonas saw two children running around a large tree.

"I'm too quick for you!" One of the children called to the other.

"I'm just going easy on you." Said the second child, running after the first.

"Well don't! I can out run you _any_ day Jonas Quinn!" The girl laughed, her blonde waves flowing behind her as she ran. At that moment, the girl tripped over one of the massive roots of the tree and went down. Yelling out in surprise as she did so.

The boy stopped, and hurried to her side when he saw her fall.

"Mollie! Are you all right?" He asked.

"I'm fine. It's just a little cut."

"I guess you're not _that_ quick are you?" Jonas asked, sitting on the ground next to her.

"I just thought I'd make it easy for you to catch me." Mollie grinned.

"Sure." Jonas replied.

"Jonas?"

"Yeah?'

"When we grow up, we'll have to come back here. We'll still be friends then, right?" Mollie replied, looking into Jonas's eyes.

"We'll _always _be friends." Jonas confirmed.

The image flickered, and turned once again to darkness, leaving Jonas smiling widely at the memory.

"I remember that." Jonas mused to himself.

"Yeah, me too." Mollie smiled.

"Are you ready to leave now Jonas?" The girl questioned.

"Definitely." Jonas said.

"This way."

Mollie led Jonas to another path and stopped.

"This will lead you out." She said, her eyes glistening and a soft smile setting on her lips.

"Thank you, you've helped me through so much, how can I ever repay you?" Jonas wondered.

"Just don't forget me." Mollie said simply.

"I could _never_ forget you, Mollie."

"Well, goodbye Jonas." Mollie said.

"I'll be seeing you." Jonas corrected.

"Not for a while." Mollie said and stepped aside so Jonas could start down the path.

When he turned back, Mollie was gone. Leaving him to travel the rest of the way alone.


	14. Reflections

**Chapter 14: Reflections**

Jonas walked down the path when another image appeared before him, this time, of Teal'c

"_Jonas Quinn, you are a remarkable warrior and I have been honored to serve with you. I do believe you can hear me, and I wish to urge you on. I hope you return soon."_ Teal'c said and turned to leave.

Jonas watched the screen flicker off, before sighing and heading further down the path, and hopefully to where he was trying to get to.

* * *

Colonel O'Neill sat next to Jonas yet again, waiting and hoping that he'd wake up. Sam walked in then, fully dressed, and no longer in hospital attire, Teal'c followed her. 

"Hey Colonel, how is he?" Sam asked.

"Still not awake." Jack sighed, accepting the glass of water Sam handed him.

A moan was heard from the bed, and all looked to see where it had come from. Jonas moved his head, his face contorting into pain.

"Jonas?" Sam asked, hopeful.

Jonas's eyes slowly opened and tried to focus on those around him.

"You're awake!" Jack exclaimed.

"Doc, he's awake!" O'Neill yelled. Fraser's hurried footsteps were heard coming toward them, and seconds later, her small frame appeared in Jonas's blurred sights.

"Hey, how are you feeling Jonas?" Fraser asked, her voice gentle and caring.

"Awful." Jonas croaked, the weakness of his voice surprising him. He coughed as his dry throat protested, and gladly accepted the straw that Sam held for him.

"I can imagine. You gave us quite a scare. More than once." Janet replied.

"Sorry." Jonas said.

"It wasn't your fault. We're just glad you're finally awake again." Jack said with a smile.

"How long has it been?" Jonas asked.

"A few days, I don't know, I lost count." O'Neill admitted.

Jonas turned to Fraser and looked at her expectantly for an answer.

"It's been five days in total, almost six." The doctor replied.

"I am pleased to see you are awake." Teal'c said.

"Thanks."

"Do you remember what happened?" Sam asked him.

"Sort of. We were ambushed, and I was running toward the gate. After that I don't remember much of anything, except being trapped in my subconscious." Jonas replied.

"What now? Jonas, are you sure you're doing okay?" Jack asked, his voice showing signs of concern.

"Colonel?" Jonas asked.

"You're talking crazy talk. Doc, maybe you should recheck his brain." Jack replied, turning to face Dr. Fraser, who was watching Jonas intently.

"Jonas?" Fraser asked.

Jonas shook his head. "Never mind. I'm fine."

" I'd better get the General. He wanted to know when you came around." Jack said.

Jonas lapsed into silence, and his eyes grew heavy.

"Hey! Hammond won't like it if he comes down to see you asleep."

Jonas opened his eyes again.

"I'll be right back, don't go to sleep. For cryin' out loud, you've _been_ sleeping for the past six days, you _can't_ be tired.!" Jack said to Jonas.

"I am, a little." Jonas admitted.

Fraser smiled. "It's only natural for you to be tired after what you've been through."

"I'm gonna go get Hammond now, be right back." O'Neill stated, walking out of the infirmary.

Jonas nodded and fell silent thinking back to the experience he'd just had over the past five days. An experience that wouldn't be far from his mind. He thought back to _how_ exactly it was that he managed to get out at all. He finally decided that he had some inner turmoil that had to be resolved.

Each memory he experienced while trapped in his subconscious had some significance, they all led him in the right direction to get out. However, one thing stuck out above all else, although all his memories allowed him the ability to _escape_, they all had to be experienced before the word was even _mentioned_ as a real possibility. And finally, with his inner storms calmed, he was able to seek something he greatly desired. Forgiveness from Mollie. A forgiveness that finally allowed him to face the world once again. The saving grace, if you will, that literally saved his life.

SG-1 didn't miss the thoughtful look that dawned over Jonas's face.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Fraser asked, speaking the question that she knew SG-1 wanted to ask.

Jonas snapped from his daze and shook his head. "It's nothing, just a dream I had about my past memories. I think it was a dream. A strange dream. There was a point in that dream where I thought for sure I'd _never_ get out."

"Well, believe it or not, you're going to be okay, but you need rest. Your body's still recovering." Janet said.

At that moment, Colonel O'Neill walked in, followed by Hammond, who smiled when he saw that Jonas _was_ in fact awake.

"Good to have you back, Jonas." Hammond replied.

"Thank you sir." Jonas said. He then turned to Jack, Sam, and Teal'c.

"Thanks." Jonas said.

"For what?" Jack questioned when Jonas's gaze rested, and lingered on him.

" For everything."

"Don't mention it." O'Neill said, slightly confused. Then, with a wave, he and SG-1 left, followed by Fraser and Hammond, leaving Jonas alone to reflect on what he'd been through.

**A/N: Well, what'd ya think? Was it to everyone's liking? I hope so, leave me your thoughts and let me know. Until next time.**

**PS: Thanks for all your wonderful reviews, they were a pleasure to read.**


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